Yes, we are still at least a month away from the commercial release of the ultra-high-end smartphones all hardcore Samsung fans are impatiently waiting for, and no, the world’s largest handset vendor hasn’t confirmed the rumored date of its next big Unpacked event yet.
Interestingly, this latest S22 series pricing speculation also comes with similar US predictions for the long overdue Galaxy Tab S8 lineup, which may or may not be unveiled early next month as well.
All three S22 models will cost more than their predecessors
Before putting the numbers into context and comparing them with some of the competition, let us highlight exactly what’s expected from the 5G-enabled Galaxy S22 family in the US:
- S22 – $899
- S22 Plus – $1099
- S22 Ultra – $1299
And now let’s start our quick analysis by addressing the giant elephant in the proverbial room. Yes, that’s $100 more across the board than Samsung originally charged for the S21 5G series stateside. So, no, it doesn’t look like future S22 Ultra buyers are the only ones who should expect to pay a premium, as many rumormongers had previously anticipated.
This is (more or less) how the Galaxy S22 should look
Instead, both the “regular” Galaxy S22 and the S22+ are now tipped to add $100 to the recommended prices of the S21 and S21+ respectively. Obviously, we’re talking about entry-level configurations here, and if recent rumors prove accurate, the S22 and S22 Plus will both start at 8GB RAM and 128GB storage space, just like their forerunners.
The $1299 S22 Ultra 5G, meanwhile, is likely to pair a whopping 12 gigs of memory with 256 gigs of local digital hoarding room, which would justify (at least in part) that otherwise very-hard-to-swallow tag. A built-in S Pen included at no extra cost could also help seal the deal, especially for Galaxy Note series nostalgics, but that only makes Samsung’s S22 and S22+ intentions harder to understand and justify.
At $899, the 6.1-inch or so Galaxy S22 5G would be $100 pricier than Apple’s 6.1-inch iPhone 13 5G and only $100 cheaper than the iPhone 13 Pro, which doesn’t sound like a very favorable position for Samsung. The S22+ and S22 Ultra, meanwhile, could exceed the starting prices of the 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max respectively, creating the perfect environment for Apple to continue thriving and breaking records.
The Galaxy Tab S8 series will unsurprisingly be expensive too
While the exact Tab S8, S8+, and S8 Ultra figures are only expected to be revealed “soon”, the things we already know about the impending trio of super-premium Android slates are… not particularly encouraging.
This is the notched Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Namely, the base model is for the time being projected to start at “under $850”, but if that specific number is mentioned, we have to assume the MSRP will not end up a lot lower than… 850 bucks. Our guess is the Galaxy Tab S8 will circle $800 in its entry-level variant, which doesn’t compare very favorably to the $650 and up Tab S7.
Likewise, the Tab S8+ is expected to increase its predecessor’s $850 US starting price to anywhere between $900 and $1000, with the all-new Tab S8 Ultra likely to set you back at least $1100 when it eventually goes on sale stateside.
Keep in mind that all three of these high-end tablets, which are pretty much guaranteed to pack the same state-of-the-art Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor as the Galaxy S22 lineup, should also come in 5G-enabled variants, but given the aforementioned Wi-Fi-only prices, we’d rather not think about how much the optional connectivity could cost.
